Monday, May 28, 2012

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day!

I am having a difficult time writing today so I am going to keep it brief.

How many holidays does your family celebrate together? 

In my previous life (BM - before medicine) I worked in the financial sector and we had the following holidays off every year, in addition to general Paid Time Off (PTO). I am beginning to wonder if I even worked with all that time off.

New Years Day
Martin Luther King Jr Day
Presidents Day
Easter
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Veterans Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas

There might have been others, too. If any of these holidays happened to land on a day that we normally didn't work (Saturday/Sunday - who works weekends?), we took either the day before or after off. Heaven forbid we didn't get all of our paid holidays in addition to all of our vacation time and every full weekend.

The people that I worked with were crazy about holidays. Requesting time off around any of the 3 day weekends was akin to gladiator fighting. There were always a few who would pull the seniority cared "I've been here for 20 years, and have taken this holiday off every year". That was the worse part of managing staff. 

In our house, AM (after medicine), we are lucky if we get one of the holidays each year to spend together. A hospital is open 24/7, 365 days a year. It may be a holiday but at the hospital it feels like any other day. In fact, a holiday almost insures a full ER (increased alcohol consumption = increased ER visits). A full ER means consults for the surgeon. Consults mean there is a possibility of surgery. Surgery means the hamburgers and brats will be stale before he gets home.

This year we are celebrating alone, but only because we are in different states. We are going to a BBQ alone, like we have almost every year before. It's not that bad. After a while you get used to it and find other things to celebrate.

Happy Memorial Day! Be responsible. Drive safe. 

1 comment:

  1. Sometimes I fantasize about what it must be like for all those lucky people with weekends every week and holidays. Usually it just makes me want to cry so I have to stop. Mostly I just pray for rain to put a damper on everyone's festivities since in dumpy weather people don't do as many dumb things. I know it is horrible, but there you go. Happy Memorial Day!

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